Foto: BB.LV / Годманис
This was emphasized by financier and former Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis in the TV24 program "The Price of Money," pointing out that such an approach requires both appropriate qualifications and the ability to assess project outcomes. Godmanis admitted that he found it difficult to find information on how the seven-year funding from the European Union is used. The results of projects may indicate how many roads have been repaired or how many new businesses have been created; however, such figures alone do not reveal the economic impact of the investments. "This is not an economic contribution. Here, I want to emphasize two things — economic will and also qualification. And help should come from someone who can do this," said Godmanis. In his opinion, the evaluation of projects has so far placed too much emphasis on controlling the use of funds and meeting formal requirements rather than on the quality of the results achieved. "Bureaucracy has not done this for 20 years — for 20 years such a principle has not been applied. When approving the winners of the competition, who win in the next announced project competition by the fund, they look to ensure that you do not steal the money — point one. And Europe also looks at this. CEFL checks if everything is in order with the accounting, and at the end, they come to see if the road you repaired is not bad," Godmanis pointed out. He emphasized that such control is not enough — it is necessary to assess the broader impact of projects on the national economy: "This is a qualitative leap. There must be someone who knows how to do this and someone who knows how to verify it as well," said Godmanis.
